Hostage
by Brittana-Obsession
Summary: When a seemingly innocent victim reports his assault to SVU, no-one could know what would happen next and what his new found admiration for Olivia could do to them all or how it could push Alex and Olivia even closer together. A/O story
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hey all, so I'm trying my hand at an A/O fanfic. I've never written for SVU before, so please let me know what you think. I hope you all enjoy it. This is just a short first chapter, but there is still plenty more to come. Thank you to Beth for being my sounding board and helping me bring my idea to this point. And thank you all in advance for reading.**

* * *

"Hey, what are you guys working on?" I heard. I turned to see my partner standing beside his desk, looking in my direction. He was clearly checking out the evidence board behind me.

"Oh, just a case. Everything can't just stop because you're not here, y'know?" I retorted, as I smiled at Elliot.

"Damn, really?!" he said, keeping up with the banter.

"Is everything OK at home now?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Yeah, thanks Liv. It feels like I've been gone a lot longer than a week!"

"Well, it's good to have you back." Alex piped up from beside me. She'd been helping me with a case for the past few days.

"You're not gonna steal my job are you?" Elliot joked.

"You're in no danger of that. I've only been working this case with Olivia for a few days and already I feel like I need a vacation. I don't know how you guys do it all the time."

"Someone's gotta do it. Right Liv?" Elliot asked.

"Right." I replied, as we all turned to take in the evidence board.

After a minute's silence, Elliot spoke again.

"So, what've you got?" he asked.

"Naomi Rimmer, she's fifteen. Lives with her mother and step father. Someone broke into the family home in the middle of the night and raped her. She claims that she never saw the attacker's face and the perp was smart enough to wear a condom, so he left no DNA behind. My money's on the step father though." Alex reeled off. I was impressed with how she'd handled herself on this case and I was now being impressed by how she was summing up the case for Elliot. I should have known that she'd be good at summing up though, after all she did it at the end of every trial.

"Liv?" I heard my name, and was instantly pulled out of my inner thoughts.

"I'm sorry, what?" I asked.

"I didn't miss anything, did I?" Alex asked me.

"Uh, no. I think you got everything. And for what it's worth, I think it was the step father too. By the look of the girls mother, he's used to pushing women around." I added.

"I hate men that beat up women." Elliot said, the anger within him visibly rising.

"They're just weak." Alex replied.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for a Detective Benson." I heard a male voice behind me. I turned to see a man, just inside the doorway of the one-six, looking in my direction. He had big doe eyes, and seeing him standing there like that, he looked so vulnerable.

"I'm Detective Benson, how can I help you?" I asked, moving away from the evidence board, and towards the man.

"I'd like to report an assault." the man said, barely above a whisper.

"OK, would you like to follow me to an interview room, there's one just here." I said, leading him the few paces from the door to the nearest available interview room.

He sat down at the chair on the far side of the table, and I pulled my chair around so I was sitting closer to him. He seemed so fragile. I grabbed my notebook and a pen.

"Can you tell me your name?" I asked.

"Joseph, … my name is Joseph Daniels." he replied, shakily.

I scribbled down the name in my notepad, then looked back up at the broken man sitting in front of me.

"OK, Joseph. Who was it that was assaulted? Was it you?" I asked.

The man in front of me sat frozen for several seconds, then nodded gently. Just the once.

"I … I was, beaten up." he stuttered. He stopped then, but I felt that there was more he wanted to say, so I just sat silently waiting for him to carry on. After a minute or so, he began to speak again. "I was also, … raped." he muttered the last word, but I heard it.

"OK, Joseph, do you mind if I call you Joseph?" I asked then. He just shook his head, so I continued. "Here's what's going to happen. I'm going to need you to make a statement, OK? I need you to tell me everything that happened, as much as you can remember. Leave nothing out. Then we're going to go to the hospital, and you're going to have to be examined. Does that sound OK to you?" I asked, looking at this broken man in front of me. My heart went out to him, it really did.

"That's OK. I'll do whatever it takes."

"Good. Now, can we start at the beginning. When did this happen?" I asked.

"I'd just finished work, I left at seven, I always finish at seven. I'm not allowed to lock up, the last guy that locked up took half the stock with him. I left out the back because the front was locked up, the door closed behind me, it locks automatically, I don't have a car, I always ride my bike. I went to unchain my bike when a man came up to me, he asked me for the time, before I'd even pulled my sleeve up to see my watch he hit me over the back of the head. I remember feeling like I was falling, then it went dark. I woke up and felt... I felt him inside me. The pain was unbearable, I cried, I could hear him laughing at me but he didn't stop."

I watched as Joseph took a moment, I could hear the tears choking his throat. I let him know with a nod that I was listening and it was OK to continue. He sniffed back tears then started talking again.

"He made me turn over, he told me if I bite he'd blow my brains out."

"He had a gun?" I asked needing to know the make and model.

"I didn't see it. I was just so scared, so I did it."

"I understand, go on." I said softly, again letting him know to continue.

"He told me to look at him, that's how I saw his face. Then, it was over and he was gone. I was just left in the parking lot, alone."

"Do you think you could talk to a sketch artist?"

"Of course, I'll never forget that face." he replied to me, I could tell he was deeply hurt, scared even, yet utterly determined to end all of this.

Twenty minutes later, I was finished taking his statement. Looking at him now, it seemed like the weight of the world had been lifted from his shoulders, just by sharing his ordeal.

"What happens now? Do I go to the hospital?" Joseph asked.

"Yes, I'll escort you. If you just give me a minute. I'll be right back." I said, getting up from my seat and making my way to Elliot's desk.

* * *

I'd sat with this woman for the last half an hour, sharing intimate details about how I'd been assaulted and raped. It had been so hard for me to come to terms with, but this Detective made it seem so easy to open up. She was kind and she seemed to really care. I knew instantly that I liked her, admired her even. It must have been difficult, doing a job that had you dealing with victims every day. Not to mention the scum she must come across when trying to catch the perpetrators. I'd walked into this building half an hour ago, feeling like a broken down, feeble mess. Now, I felt like Detective Benson had given me back some of my self esteem, just by listening to me and wanting to help. I knew now that whatever happened next, I wanted to see her again. Now I had her attention, I would stop at nothing to keep it. Nothing and no-one could get in my way, I wouldn't allow it.

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**A/N 2: I know there wasn't a lot of A/O in this chapter, but there will be in chapters to come. I promise! **


	2. Chapter 2

I'd just gotten back from the hospital, and was about to take a seat at my desk when I heard someone calling my name.

"Olivia!" Cragen called.

"Yes, captain?" I asked, stopping on the spot.

"My office." he said, as he turned around and made his way back inside his office.

I wondered what this could be about, but did as I was told and made my way to the captains office.

"Shut the door." he said, as I entered.

"Captain?" I asked.

"We've received an anonymous phone call." he began, and I stood silently waiting for him to continue. "That guy that came in here today, was his name Joseph Daniels?" he asked.

"Yeah, captain what's going on?" I asked.

"What did he want?"

"He wanted to report a rape and assault." I told him.

"The victim?" the captain asked.

"Himself." I responded.

"When he came into the precinct, what did he say? Did he say he needed to speak to someone or did he ask for you by name?" the captain asked.

"He asked for me by name." I replied.

"Are you working the case alone? I know Elliot's had a lot to deal with recently, and with his time off he's busy now catching up."

"I've been working it alone. But to be honest, I haven't done a lot so far. I took his statement, and I just came back from the hospital. He just finished up having his examination."

"OK, I want you to stay on this case, but I don't want you to work it alone. How many other cases are you dealing with right now?" the captain asked.

"I have one other case at the moment, I've had some help from Alex on that one. The Rimmer case. And now this one." I replied.

"Do you think Alex could help you on this one?"

"I'm not sure, I could ask. Captain, what's going on here? What don't I know?" I asked.

"The anonymous phone call came from a woman, she said that Daniels has formed an attachment to you, an admiration if you will, and she thinks that you need to be careful around him."

"Captain, we deal with a lot of people that form bonds with us. They trust us, they feel like they can open up to us, like we're an ally when they feel so vulnerable. What makes this guy any different?" I asked.

"The woman on the phone seemed to think that when Daniels forms these types of bond, he gets possessive, he doesn't like the object of his affections, in this case you, talking to or being around anyone else. He becomes jealous. And apparently, when he gets like this, he's not very nice to be around."

"I'm seeing Alex after work, I'll ask her if she has any free time and if she's able and willing to help me on this case. But honestly captain, this guy doesn't seem like the type to cause any trouble." I said, honestly.

"It's better to be safe than sorry." the captain said then. "Close the door on your way out." he added, letting me know that this conversation was over. He'd said all he needed to say.

"Captain." I said, as I turned and opened the door to leave.

* * *

"So, I have a favour to ask." I said as I took a sip from the beer in my hand.

"What can I do for you, Liv?" Alex asked.

"You remember that guy that came into the precinct today? He asked for me when we were working on the Rimmer case." I added.

"Yeah?"

"Well, he reported a rape and assault and I've been working the case alone. Elliot has a lot to catch up on, and Fin and Munch are snowed under so I haven't had much of a choice." I rambled.

"Uh-huh?"

"To cut a long story short, Cragen doesn't want me to work the case alone and he wanted to know if you would be able and willing to help me on this case?"

"So let me get this straight, Cragen wants me to help you on this case, not because we're working so well together on the Rimmer case, but because there's nobody better to do the job?" Alex asked.

"Shit, that came out wrong!" I said, almost spilling beer on myself.

Alex laughed then and I realised that she was teasing me.

"I have some free time, my next case doesn't go to trial until next week so I could help you out until then." she said, between laughs.

"I appreciate it."

"Good." Alex replied.

"I'm gonna go get another beer from the kitchen, you want one?" I asked, as I got up from the sofa where I'd been sitting and made my way to the fridge.

"Yeah, please. I'm just gonna go to the bathroom." Alex said, as she got up and made her way to my bathroom.

I took two bottles of beer from the fridge and opened them, before making my way back over to the sofa. I liked having down time like this with Alex, away from the precinct and the courtrooms. It was good to just sit and chat and be friends.

A few minutes later, Alex came back from the bathroom and sat next to me, leaning over me to get her beer from the table beside me. It felt so weird, being that close to her yet it seemed to spark something in me. Working closely together like we had been the past week seemed to strengthen the bond that was already there between us. I felt myself admiring her more, and enjoying her company a whole lot more than I used to.

"Sorry." Alex said, pulling me out of my inner thoughts, as she leaned back away from me.

"That's OK." I replied, slightly flustered. I wasn't sure what was happening but I suddenly felt like the temperature in my apartment had increased. "Is it hot in here?" I said aloud, not really meaning to.

"I don't think so." Alex replied.

"Must just be me." I joked, still flustered. " You wanna order some food?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Sure, what are you in the mood for?" Alex asked, and my mind instantly wandered. Y_ou_ I caught myself thinking, and felt the blush at my cheeks increase. What the hell was happening to me?

"Anything really. You?" I managed to get out.

"I could eat some Chinese." Alex said, as I was still trying to mentally stabilize myself.

"Chinese sounds good." I replied. "I have some menu's on the island, do you mind getting them?" I asked. The island was just behind us, and it would have been just as easy for me to grab the menu's but I was in this mental abyss right now, trying to figure out what was going on with me.

"Sure." Alex said, as she got up from the sofa.

I watched her get up, and walk around the end of the sofa to retrieve the menu's from the island. I watched the way she held herself and how gracefully she walked. My eyes scanned further down her body until I stopped at her ass, so perfect, I wouldn't mind having her ass. That's when I realised what I was doing. I was checking her out! What was happening? Why was I doing that? I felt my cheeks go an even brighter shade of pink, as I tried to conceal my roving eyes. When I looked back up though, I saw Alex had this huge smirk on her face. _Shit! _I thought to myself. _She totally just caught me checking her out, didn't she? _I was having an internal conversation with myself.

"Are you okay, Liv?" Alex asked, as she sat back down beside me on the sofa with a handful of Chinese menu's.

"Uh-huh." was all I could manage.

"You look a little flustered, are you sure you're okay?" she asked again, and it began to feel like she was taunting me. I was sure that she'd caught me checking her out and now she was teasing me for it.

"It's just a little hot in here, that's all." I said, as I took a big gulp of my beer. "Shall we take a look at the menu's?" I asked, trying to change the subject.

"Sure." Alex said, seemingly letting it go. "Although, I kinda like the idea of some chicken now." she added.

"Chicken?" I asked.

"Yeah, chicken. You want to get some chicken?" she asked.

"Uh, if that's what you want. There's a chicken place across the street, it's really good actually."

"OK, well chicken it is. I'll go. What do you want?" Alex asked.

"I'll have the number three." I replied. I'd only ever been to the chicken place across the street twice, but both times I'd ordered the number three and been happy with it.

"OK, I won't be long." Alex said, as she got up from the sofa and made her way towards the door. Just as she was about to leave though, she turned and looked at me.

"What is it?" I asked.

"What do you prefer, Liv? Breast or Thigh?" Alex asked, with a slight chuckle. But it was clear to me that she didn't want an answer, she was just making it clear that she'd caught me checking her out and she was having fun seeing me blush over it. Before I could answer, Alex was gone, closing the door behind her.

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**A/N: So how did you like chapter two? There was a little more A/O in this one, I hope you all enjoyed it. Please let me know what you think, I greatly appreciate all the feedback I've received both here and on Twitter so far. **


	3. Chapter 3

I was sat at the evidence board, coffee in one hand, looking at all the evidence we had been able to gather on the Rimmer case. I knew with every fibre of my being that it was the step father, I'd have bet my life on it. I just didn't have the evidence to prove it, and that pissed me off more than anything.

I sighed, the frustration in me boiling over. I needed to find the evidence to prove that this guy was our rapist and soon, otherwise he'd get away with it. I swivelled around in my chair, and saw Elliot had his head stuck in a pile of paperwork. He hadn't been working the case with me, but right now I wanted a new perspective, a set of fresh eyes in case something was there that I just couldn't see.

"Hey, El. How busy are you exactly?" I asked my partner, hopefully.

"Very, Liv. I have a mountain of paperwork to catch up on and I have to testify in court in a couple of days. Why?" he replied.

"I'd love a pair of fresh eyes on this case."

"Sorry, I can't help." my partner said, and buried his head back in his paperwork.

"Thanks anyway." I said, with a huff. I was getting nowhere fast and it was frustrating the hell out of me.

I swivelled back around on my chair, once again taking in the evidence board in front of me. I had to be missing something, any guy that could beat up his wife and attack and rape his step daughter couldn't be clever enough to avoid jail time. There had to be something I was sure of it, I just wasn't seeing it.

I threw my almost empty coffee cup in the trash can near the door with a lot more force than I'd intended, and was about to get up to pace when a voice stopped me.

"Whoa! What did the coffee ever do to you? Surely it wasn't that bad!" Alex chuckled.

"Hey, Alex." I replied, and smiled. I couldn't seem to help myself. Whenever I was around her lately she seemed to take whatever mood I was in, and replace it with one full of smiles and happiness.

"Is it the case?" Alex asked, and my smile immediately fell, once again being replaced by frustration.

"Got it in one." I replied.

"Let me take a look at what we have, I haven't looked at this board in almost two days. I'm not a new set of eyes, but maybe I'll see something I've been missing." Alex said, as she rubbed my arm.

"Thanks, that's all I want. Someone to take a look and find something I've been missing, because I know there must be something there." I rambled.

"How much coffee have you had exactly?" Alex asked then.

"Not much." I answered, I was wired from several cups of coffee and clearly Alex could see that.

"Mm-hm. Sure." Alex said, knowingly. "Why don't you go take a walk? Get some fresh air." she added.

"No, I want to be here just in case you find something." I argued, but I know I was fighting a lost battle. Alex wasn't going to let me sit on edge, staring at her and the board for the next God knows how long.

"Walk it off. I'll call you if I find anything."

"Promise?" I found myself saying, and felt slightly childish about it.

"I promise. Now go!" Alex said sternly, but I could see the smile breaking out and knew that she was only trying to help me.

"OK, I'm going." I smiled back, making my way towards the elevator.

* * *

Half an hour later, I felt slightly better for my fresh air break. I got out of the elevator and walked into the precinct. Elliot was still sat at his desk, buried in paperwork and Alex was stood at the evidence board, other than that no-one else was around. I was sure the Captain was probably in his office, but I assumed that Fin and Munch were out on a case.

"Anything?" I asked, as I walked towards Alex.

"I'm not sure." she replied, looking from the board to her hand where she held a pad of paper she had been scribbling notes in.

"What do you mean?" I asked, confused yet excited at the prospect of finding something new.

"Jacob Rimmer said that he was at a bar that night, right? And that he didn't get back home until around two a.m?" Alex began.

"Yeah, and the bartender corroborated that." I replied, beginning to think that we were about to hit a brick wall, again!

"Yeah, I know. Naomi Rimmer said that when she looked at her alarm clock just before she was attacked that it was one twenty, right? Meaning that it was impossible for it to be the step father."

I nodded, following Alex's commentary.

"Only it wasn't impossible, because it wasn't one twenty when Naomi Rimmer was raped, it was two twenty." Alex paused, it seemed for dramatic effect.

"How? What? How?" was all I managed to get out, confusion taking hold.

"The night Naomi Rimmer was attacked, March 11th was the day that the clocks change here in America for Daylight Saving. That means that by Naomi's clock, her stepfather got home at one a.m NOT two a.m and that gave him plenty of time to rape and attack her, staging the break in to make it look like someone else had committed the attack."

I stood, shocked and amazed at the break through that Alex had set in motion. I couldn't believe I'd missed this vital clue, but I was glad I had Alex to help me.

"I can't believe it, we're gonna get this son of a bitch!" I smiled and high fived Alex, I couldn't help it, it was a small victory for the good guys.

"Well believe it, because with this, we may just be able to get him!" Alex said, triumphantly. Right then our high five turned into a hug and I couldn't have been happier right then. Almost straight away though, I felt Alex pull away.

"You got something new?" I heard from behind me, and turned to see Elliot looking over at us. It was then that I realised why Alex had pulled away so awkwardly.

"Yeah." was all I managed to get out, still shocked and confused about Alex's behaviour. Since our little flirting game the other night, we hadn't mentioned anything and had just gone about our days the same as usual. Now, I felt like things were becoming awkward between us.

"Good for you." Elliot said, standing up and stretching. "I wish I could have the same luck with this paperwork. The pile seems to never move!" he complained.

I didn't have anything to say to him, I was still in a world of my own thinking about Alex's behaviour and how things had clearly changed between us. I wasn't sure exactly what was going to happen next, but it was clear to me now that the two of us needed to talk and figure this out.

"I'm gonna head to the café down the street for some coffee, do either of you two want anything?" Elliot asked, cutting into my thought process.

"No thanks." I replied.

"Nothing for me either, thanks." Alex added.

"OK, don't work too hard." Elliot said, taking his jacket from the back of his chair, and making his way towards the elevator and out of the precinct.

A minute or two passed after he left, in complete silence. It felt so awkward, the atmosphere in the room could have been cut with a knife. I didn't know exactly what I wanted to say, but the silence was becoming too much to bear so I decided to speak.

"Do we have a problem?" I found myself saying, as I turned to look at Alex.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I think you know exactly what I mean, Alex."

"No, I don't think we do." she replied.

"Then what was that all about back there?" I asked.

"I'm sorry."

"That's it? That's all you're going to say?" I was becoming frustrated by her lack of anything to say.

"Look, Olivia I like you. You know that, right?" Alex asked. I nodded. "And I've really enjoyed working with you lately. Especially with all the fun and banter we seem to share. But I don't know what's going on here. I don't know what this is, and I'm confused." she rambled.

"You think I'm any better informed?" I asked. "I don't know what this is either, I don't even know where all this began but I've really enjoyed working with you and I like the fun that we seem to have when we're together. You're a great friend to me and I wouldn't want to do anything to jeopardize that friendship. But it's clear to me that there is something more to this, to us. I don't know what we're supposed to do about it, I don't know if you WANT to do anything about it, but one thing I do know, is that I don't want any more awkward hugs or anything like the scene we just had a few minutes ago."

"I know, and I'm sorry about that Olivia. I really am. I'm just a little confused right now. It's one thing to have fun and toss about some banter but this thing that seems to be developing between us, if I'm honest, is scaring me."

"I know, me too." I said, moving closer to Alex. "What do you say we just concentrate on work right now and hopefully closing this case. Anything after that, we can figure out together, outside of work?" I asked, hopeful.

"That sounds good to me." Alex said, moving closer and putting her arms around me. "I'm sorry I pulled away before. I won't do it again."

I felt her arms envelop me and instantly I felt myself relax into her. This was different from the first hug in every way imaginable. It was softer, she was much more open and welcoming and it didn't feel awkward at all. In fact, it felt the complete opposite. I was in heaven.

"Excuse me, Detective Benson?" I heard from behind, and pulled away from the embrace. I turned around to find Joseph Daniels standing in the doorway of the precinct.

"Mr Daniels." I said, moving further away from Alex and closer towards the man at the door. "You're here for the sketch." I said, more in answer to the silent question I'd asked myself.

"Yes, I am." he said, and something seemed different about him. He seemed upset, maybe even angry and I wasn't quite sure why. Sure, he had a reason to be upset and I understood that, but he seemed like a completely different person than the man I had met two days ago.

"Alex, can you just give me ten minutes then we'll follow up on that lead." I said, turning back to Alex who remained standing at the evidence board.

"Sure."

"Mr Daniels, if you'd like to come with me, our sketch artist is just down the hall." I said, leading the man out of the precinct and down the hall.

"I've seen that woman before." Joseph said, as he caught up beside me. "On TV." he added.

"I'm sure you have, that's Assistant District Attorney Alex Cabot."

"That's the A.D.A? Will she be prosecuting my case if you find my attacker?" Joseph asked.

"Yes, she will."

"What's she like?" Joseph asked then, which took me by surprise. I hadn't been expecting him to ask me that.

"She's brilliant. Her conviction rate is extremely high and she fights for justice every day, just like we do." I found myself saying without even thinking about it.

"What's she like as a person?" Joseph asked.

"She's an amazing person with a pure heart. She wants to help people and she does. She's one of a kind." I said, before realizing that maybe I was being too personal.

"She's pretty, too." Joseph said then, which again caught me off guard.

I wasn't sure how to respond at first, but then I found myself agreeing. "Yes, she is." I replied, honestly.

"Have you known her long?" Joseph asked, as I led him into the soft interview room.

"A few years." I said. "Take a seat." I added trying to change the subject.

"Thanks." he said, as he sat down. "Are you two friends?" Joseph added then. I must have given him a look that conveyed that I wasn't interested in continuing this conversation because he spoke again before I had a chance to answer him. "You two just seem close, that's all."

"We're colleagues and I guess you could call us friends." I said then. "I'm going to see where the sketch artist has gotten to. Can I get you anything?" I asked, as I made my way towards the door.

"No, thank you." Joseph replied. "Detective Benson?" he said, just as I was leaving the room.

"Yes?"

"Will you be here with me, when I'm with the sketch artist?" Joseph asked.

"No, I'm afraid not. I have another case I'm working on at the moment that needs my attention. You'll be fine with the sketch artist." I said, making my way out of the room once again.

"I'm nervous!" Joseph almost shouted, as I attempted to close the door behind me. "Could you please stay with me?" he said, almost pleading.

"I'm sorry, I can't stay with you, like I said I have another case I'm dealing with. But if you'd like someone to sit with you whilst you compose the sketch then I can get another officer to do it." I said, poking my head around the door.

"Are you sure you can't stay?" he asked.

I nodded in response, I felt like I was walking in circles with this guy right now. I knew he was a victim but the earlier warning from the captain played in the back of my mind and I was beginning to get weary.

"I'm sure I'll be OK." Joseph said then, and I just smiled in response.

"I'll be back in a few minutes with the sketch artist." I said, closing the door quickly before he could get a chance to say anything else.

* * *

Detective Benson had made me angry and upset. I liked her, I knew that from the very first second I'd laid eyes on her and I became more sure of that attraction when she had taken my statement and accompanied me to the hospital. But seeing her draped all over that woman when I had come into the precinct had sparked something in me. I decided right then that I didn't like her being close to anyone, especially if she was going to be hugging them and letting them into her personal space. She was special, I knew that. And special things had to be kept and treasured. I would treasure her, and I was sure that I was the only person that knew how to treasure her properly. Maybe she would grow to think that I was special and brilliant, just like how she'd described the A.D.A. Maybe she would become my friend just like she was friends with Alex. I knew one thing for sure, I needed to see more of her, my dearest Olivia and I would do whatever it took to keep seeing her.

* * *

**A/N: I hope you all liked this chapter, I'd really appreciate it if you could take the time to review. Thank you all for the support so far, it is greatly appreciated. **


	4. Chapter 4

I wasn't counting yesterday as a success on the Olivia front. I had seen her, yes. But she had blown me off to spend time with A.D.A Cabot and deal with another case, like I wasn't important enough for her. I'd spent over an hour with the sketch artist, composing an image of the man who had attacked me and not once had Detective Benson shown her face. That made my anger towards her grow quite a bit, but my love for her was still the most powerful emotion I possessed, even if she had upset me.

Now, as I made my way inside the precinct for a line up, I had a fake half smile plastered on my face. I didn't want to appear too happy to see her, or too upset with her. But I was here to potentially pick out my attacker from a line up so I figured the half smile was apt. As I got inside the one-six though, I couldn't even manage to keep the half smile on my face because once again Olivia was there with A.D.A Cabot and some guy. I'd seen him the first time I'd met Olivia at the precinct but that was only in passing and she hadn't mentioned who he was. I took a deep breath in, I had to keep these jealous feelings inside, I had to hide them from Olivia. I counted to five, slowly before making my way inside the room and closer towards the trio.

"Detective Benson." I said, a slightly aggressive tone in my voice. I needed to reign that in.

"Mr Daniels, it's good to see you again." she said, and I eased up a little at that. Did she really think that it was good to see me again? Did she really mean it? Or was she just being polite? Either way, it made me smile inside and helped me to release some of the anger I'd been holding onto since yesterday.

"You asked me to come in for a line up, is my attacker here?" I asked, my voice taking a slightly worried tone. I didn't feel worried though, not any more. I had been at first, I didn't ever want to meet my attacker again. But now I had Olivia on my side, nothing else mattered.

"Possibly, I worked with the sketch you composed yesterday and I managed to find a few suspects. That's why I've asked you to come in for the line up, to see if you can pick him out." Detective Benson explained to me. "Now, you don't have to be afraid. The men on the other side of the mirror can't see you but you can see them. And we'll be by your side every step of the way." she added. That made me feel better about this whole process, today I had her undivided attention, no other cases to take her away from me. She was mine, however temporarily.

"I'm ready." I said then, and gave the detective a small smile.

"OK, if you come this way." Olivia said, walking towards the door. "A.D.A Cabot will be in the room with us." she added. "Is that a problem?" she asked then. Was it a problem? Yes, it was! I wanted Olivia's attention and I wanted her all to myself. I didn't want to share her today, not with anyone. I didn't have much time, I knew that much. Just enough time to I.D someone and then I'd be on my way home again, and she'd be going on with her work.

"No, it's no problem." I lied. "What about that other guy? Will he be in the room too?" I asked, I figured I'd try to get as much information about him as possible and determine if he would be a problem for me.

"Detective Stabler? No, he won't be in the room. He's not working your case." Olivia replied, and I sighed in relief. Olivia didn't notice and I was thankful for that.

"Who is he?" I asked, as I tried to pry some more information.

"He's my partner." she replied, leading me into the observation room.

"Then why isn't he working my case?" I asked.

"Because he has other cases to work on, I'm working your case with the help of A.D.A Cabot." she answered, walking me closer to the mirror.

"Have you been working with him long?"

"A few years." Olivia replied. "Now, don't forget what I said about them not being able to see you. Take your time, have a good look and see if you recognise anyone, then all you have to do is tell me the number of the person you recognise and where you recognise them from."

"OK, I can do that." I answered, and took a deep breath for effect. I had the feeling that I was supposed to be more scared than I was right now, so I was playing along with how I imagined Olivia expected me to act. "So, you're partner won't be involved in my case at all?" I asked, trying to turn the subject back onto him and her relationship with him.

"No, not at all. Are you ready to view the line up?" she asked, trying to change the subject. Why did she do that? It made me angry so much when she tried to blow me off. She'd done it to me once yesterday about the A.D.A and the nature of their relationship and now she'd done it again about her partner Detective Stabler. Was there something she was trying to hide? Did I have to be worried about either or both of them?

"Yes, I'm ready." I said, trying to keep my anger in check. I didn't want to make her suspicious of me or my feelings towards her. I had to be smarter than that. I took a small step back away from the mirror and Detective Benson lifted the blinds.

I stood and looked at the five men standing on the other side of the mirror, all holding a small board with a number written on it. I glanced at the first man, holding the number one board and roamed down the line all the way to the last man, holding the number five board. I went back the other way then, starting at number five and working back to number one. I took them all in, from the tops of their heads, all the way down to their feet. I knew I was just wasting time, I didn't need to look at all five of them, not even once. Let alone twice. Because I'd seen my attacker the second my eyes had laid on number three. I'd never forget that face.

"Take your time." Detective Benson said softly, as she moved closer to me. "There's no hurry."

"Thanks." I said then, turning to look at her. I could tell her right now, I could point out my attacker and this would be the end of everything. I'd have the trial to deal with later, but I wouldn't see Olivia very much before, during and especially not after the trial. I gulped. I had to choose, did I choose to put my attacker behind bars, getting justice for myself and giving me the chance to move on with my life? Or did I choose to lie? If I lied, I'd get to see Olivia more. What did I want most, to spend more time with Olivia or to see my attacker jailed? That was what my choices came down to. I took a deep breath, I had to make a choice and I had to do it now.

"It's ..." I began, but stopped. I couldn't do it, as much as I wanted justice I wanted Olivia more. "It's none of those guys." I lied, and let out a breath I hadn't known I'd been holding. I hoped that it wasn't a suspicious thing to do and that Olivia would just put it down to me being nervous.

"Are you sure?" she asked, and for a split second it made me wonder if she knew that I was lying. But I immediately shrugged it off. She couldn't know I was lying because she hadn't been there that night, she didn't know who my attacker was.

"Yes, I'm sure." I lied again. This was becoming a habit, but I figured Olivia was worth it.

"Okay, follow me." she said, as she led me out of the observation room. I glanced through the mirror one more time before I followed her out of the room. If she could find that guy, I could find him myself and deal with him later.

"What now?" I asked, as Olivia led me back into the one-six.

"Well, I will continue to work your case with the help of A.D.A Cabot and we'll try to put together another line up and hopefully we'll have more luck next time. In the meantime, all I can suggest is that you try to go back to your normal life. I know after an attack it is difficult, but we will find your attacker and he will be brought to justice." Olivia replied.

"Wait, that's it?" I asked, incredulous. I'd just let my attacker walk free for this?! "There's nothing more I can do? There's nothing else you need my help with? I'm useless?!" I raged. I'd let my attacker walk free so that I could help Olivia with the case some more, which in turn would let me spend more time with her. This wasn't working out the way it was supposed to.

"Calm down, Joseph." Olivia tried to soothe. "This is not the end. We will continue to work on your case, and your attacker will not get away with what he did to you. But right now we don't have a lot to go on, so it's probably going to be a long process. I ask that you just bear with us. I know it's not easy, but we're going to do everything we can. I promise."

I was still raging inside, this wasn't what I had planned at all. Everything was going wrong. Not only did I let my attacker go free, but I wouldn't be spending more time with Olivia neither. Something inside me snapped. I felt my temperature spike and felt like I was going to explode. This couldn't get any worse. I'd screwed up big time and now I had no way back. I had to figure something out, and I had to do it quick.

"I have to go!" I snapped at Olivia. "Thank you for all you have done for me, if there's any news I trust you'll contact me?" I asked, making my way towards the door.

"Of course, but Joseph please, try to calm down. This really isn't the end, I promise." Olivia tried once again to soothe me.

"Thanks." I said, with less bite in my tone. "Thanks for everything." I added, "Bye." I said then, as I pushed the elevator button and got on when the doors opened.

As I rode down in the elevator, Olivia's words rung in my head, this wasn't the end she'd promised me. And she was right. I wouldn't let this be the end, because in the mere minutes that had passed from the time Olivia told me that I should go back to my normal life, to the time it took me to get on the elevator, I had formed a plan. A plan that would change my life forever and that would allow me to spend more time with Olivia. I would stop at nothing to be with her, nothing could keep us apart.

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**A/N: I tried writing this chapter from Joseph's perspective which wasn't an easy feat, I've never been inside the mind of a psycho before lol, I just hope I did the story justice. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter :) I'd just like to say a quick thank you to all those that have reviewed so far, it means so much. If you liked this chapter, could you please just take a minute to let me know, or even if you didn't like it I'd like to know what you thought. Thank you once again for your support. Next chapter, things will start to hot up! **


	5. Chapter 5

"Olivia, are you on your way out?" Alex asked, as we passed each other in the doorway of the one-six.

"Hey, Alex. Yeah, I was just going to grab some lunch. I have to be back in an hour to interview Jacob Rimmer again. Can you believe that guy is still claiming his innocence?"

"He's still sticking to his story, huh?"

"Yeah. Crazy thing is, he knows we've got him. He just doesn't want to help us 'nail his ass to the wall'" I air quoted. "His words." I added then.

"Do you mind if I tag along for lunch?" Alex asked.

"Of course not, walk with me." I replied, as I made my way towards the elevators.

"Anything new on the Daniels rape case?" Alex asked, making conversation.

"One or two leads, nothing much though." I replied, as we both got on the elevator and I pushed the ground floor button. But nothing happened, the elevator didn't move and the ground floor button didn't light up. I pressed it again, wondering what was happening. I was about to ask someone what the hell was going on, but the button lit up.

"Poor guy." Alex commented. "A little weird though." she added, as the elevator doors finally closed. "Don't you think?"

"Yeah, there was something a little … creepy about him. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but on more than one occasion I got the feeling that something wasn't right with him, like I'd pissed him off or something. I thought it was just me over thinking things though after what Cragen said."

"No, I saw it too. There was something definitely odd about him." Alex replied, as the elevator came to a stop and we got off.

"Donny's café OK for you for lunch?" I asked, as I walked out of the precinct with Alex walking beside me.

"Sure." she replied.

"Your car or mine?" I asked then.

"Mine, yours looks too much like a cop's car." Alex joked, which made me chuckle.

"OK, I'll give you that, but only if I can drive."

"Are you trying to say there's something wrong with the way I drive, detective Benson?" Alex asked, with a slight smile on her face. "Because I'll have you know, I'm an excellent driver." she added, with a small chuckle.

"Yeah, an excellent driver, for an A.D.A." I responded, "Let me show you how us cops do it." I added, letting out a chuckle of my own. It was banter like this with Alex that I enjoyed the most, just care free, fun stuff. It felt great to be able to laugh and joke with her.

"OK, show me what you got." Alex responded, throwing her keys my way. "But don't hurt my baby." she added, as we got to her car.

"Your baby?" I mocked, "You call your car your baby?" I asked, laughing.

"Hey, do you have any idea how much she's worth?" Alex asked, not enjoying our banter as much now that I was mocking her pet name for her car.

"Now your car's a 'she'?" I couldn't keep my laughter under control any more, I burst into a fit of laughter. "Aww, our A.D.A is cute underneath all that tough as nails, made for the courtroom suit!" I joked.

"I am NOT cute!" Alex responded.

"Sure you're not. Get in the car, cutie. We don't have long left for lunch." I joked, getting into the drivers seat. I liked spending time with Alex, especially times like now.

* * *

"Mr Rimmer, why must you keep wasting our time? We both know what really happened that night, we also know how the whole time changing almost saved your ass, but now we've got past all that."

"You're crazy if you think I'm confessing to anything, Detective Benson." Jacob Rimmer replied.

"Lucky for us, we don't need a confession. Watch your ass, it won't be safe in prison, they don't like people that mess around with kids, right Ms Cabot?"

"That's right Detective Benson, nobody likes people that hurt kids." Alex replied.

"What are you offering?" Michael Long asked.

"What are you talking about?" Jacob Rimmer raged, "I don't need no deal. What kind of attorney are you?"

"One that's trying to do his best for you" the lawyer responded.

"There is no deal, we have him and I think everyone in this room knows that." I replied. "Good Luck, Mr Rimmer. You're going to need it." I added, as I got up and made my way out of the room.

Once outside, I let out a sigh of relief. I knew I had him, and I was glad that I was going to get justice for Naomi Rimmer. This was one more case I could add to the success pile.

"Are you okay?" Alex asked, as she approached my desk.

"Yeah, I'm good. Glad that case is over with. Now, if only I could do the same thing with the Daniels case." I replied.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Alex asked.

"I'm going in a few minutes to pick up a possible suspect. You can come along if you have the time."

"I have to just call my office, if you can give me five, then I'm all yours." Alex replied.

"Sure, let me know when you're ready and we'll go."

* * *

"Mr Daniels?" I said, cradling the phone between my shoulder and my ear. "Hi, this is Detective Benson. I was wondering if you could come down to the precinct. I've got a few more suspects, and I'd like to put them in a line-up for you. I'd appreciate it if you could give me a call back or come into the precinct." I hung up the phone.

"Did you speak to him?" Alex asked.

"Answering Machine." I replied.

"So, what are you going to do now?"

"I guess I have to wait." I answered. "I have some paperwork to catch up with anyway." I added.

"I have some calls I need to make, let me know when Mr Daniels comes in?" Alex asked.

"Sure thing." I replied.

"It's really quiet around here, where is everyone Liv?" Alex asked then.

"Busy, I guess." I answered.

"Okay, I'll see you soon." Alex said, as she turned to make her way out of the one-six.

"Bye."

I watched Alex as she walked through the one-six towards the elevators, as she got to the door though, she stopped. I wondered who she had bumped into that had her attention. I watched for another minute, before I picked up a folder from my desk, the paperwork wasn't going to do itself.

"Hey, Liv." I looked up to see Elliot making his way towards his desk, with Fin and Munch following closely behind.

"Hey, guys." I replied. I figured it must have been them that bumped into Alex.

"What are you doing over there?" Elliot asked.

"The Devil's work." I joked. "Paperwork." I amended.

"No, you got it right the first time." Elliot replied, with a smile.

"Olivia!"

I turned to see Alex making her way towards me.

"I thought you left already."

"I did, but I bumped into Mr Daniels on the way out so I thought I would escort him in." Alex replied. "I know you wanted to get that line-up done." she added.

"Yes, Mr Daniels. It's good to see you again." I said, with a slightly cheerful tone.

"Detective Benson." he replied. "I have something I need to tell you." he added and I wondered what it could be. I waited patiently for a minute or two, but he didn't add anything.

"Yes?" I asked.

"I lied to you." was all he said.

"I'm sorry?" I replied. "Lied about what?" I asked.

"About my attacker, I said he wasn't in the first line up, but he was." he said. I looked at him, with a completely shocked expression on my face. Why would he lie about that?

"Mr Daniels, why would you lie about that?" I asked.

"Because of you." he replied. "It's all because of you." he added.

I was about to ask him what 'all' was and what he meant by that, when what he did stopped me in my tracks. He opened the buttons on his jacket to reveal something that I had never expected to see. Mr Daniels was wearing a bomb.

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**A/N: Cliffhanger! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, thank you all for your support so far. I am away on holiday on Saturday for a week, I'm hoping to fit in another chapter before I go because I won't be able to upload for over a week. **


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey all, I'm so sorry for the delay in getting this chapter out to you. There was a holiday, then life got in the way and yeah all boring stuff. Anyway, it's finally here after a two month long cliffhanger, I hope you all enjoy it. I really appreciate all of your reviews so far, if you could take a minute to review this chapter I would be really grateful. Enough from me, enjoy!**

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After a few minutes of dumbfounded shock, I managed to speak.

"Mr Daniels, what is this all about? What's brought you to the point where you feel a bomb is the answer?" I asked, trying not to sound too aggressive.

"You, Detective Benson. It's all been about you!" he shouted, clearly annoyed.

"I don't understand." I simply replied.

"Of course you don't, why would you?!" he spat. "Don't even think about it!" he said then, turning his attention to Elliot who had tried to move closer to him. "I'm not stupid, and I'm not afraid to use this thing so don't test me!" he added, whilst pointing to the bomb.

"Joseph, can we talk about this? Maybe we can find a way around the problem?" I tried reasoning.

"No, I've done all the talking I'm prepared to do right now. This building has been sealed off, no-one is coming in and no-one is going out. I'm in control Detective Benson, me! So just shut up and do as your told."

I was shocked, he seemed so angry and annoyed with me. I couldn't understand what his problem with me was. All I'd tried to do since the beginning of his case was help him, and here he was holding us all hostage with a bomb strapped to his chest.

"Who else is here?" he asked then, taking me out of my thoughts.

It dawned on me for a moment whether I should lie to him and give us the option of a way out, but I quickly decided that wouldn't be a good idea. If he found out I'd lied to him or if he stumble upon someone, something could go extremely wrong and anything could happen.

"My captain is in his office, and then there's us three. Myself, detective Stabler and Miss Cabot." I replied.

"And that's everyone?" he asked, clearly doubting me.

"Detective Munch is in the crib" Elliot added.

"Where is that?" Joseph asked, clearly annoyed.

"Just through there." I pointed towards the back of the precinct.

"Go get him!" Joseph instructed to Alex.

"Me?" she asked, clearly shocked.

"Yeah, you!" he spat.

"Okay." Alex said, as she made her way towards the crib.

"Don't do anything stupid!" he shouted after her.

We stood in the middle of the one-six for a couple of minutes, no-one saying anything, until Alex came back with Munch following closely behind her.

"What the hell?" Munch asked as he came in, and saw the bomb.

"Shut up and get over here." Joseph said, as he began to pace. "Now, go get the Captain." he instructed Alex once more.

Alex did as she was told and made her way towards the Captain's office and knocked on the door. We all stood, watching as she went and waited for the "Come in." that was bound to come from the Captain.

A minute later, he followed Alex into the middle of the one-six and the shocked look on his face suggested that the situation was just registering with him.

"Sir..." he began, but Joseph shot him down.

"Shut up and get over here, all of you sit around Detective Benson's desk!" he spat. "And leave your weapons at your own desks." he added then.

Elliot pulled out his gun and placed it on his desk, before he pulled up his chair and sat at my desk. Munch then repeated the action. Alex just pulled up a chair and sat at my desk, she didn't have a weapon and clearly Joseph knew this.

"Captain Cragen, your weapon?" he asked.

"It's in my desk drawer, in my office." Cragen replied.

"Is there a key?" Joseph asked.

"Yes." Cragen said, taking the key and handing it to Joseph.

"All sit tight, I'm just going to put these nasty guns away somewhere safe." Joseph said, as he picked up all of our weapons and took them to the Captains office. Through the window, you could see he had gone to the desk drawer, but then nothing.

"You think we should try to get out of here?" Elliot asked me as Joseph was in the office.

"It's risky." I replied.

"But worth a try, right?" he asked.

Alex was the closest to the doors of the one-six so she quickly got up and walked to the elevators, she pressed the button but nothing happened. It didn't light up and there was no sound of a moving elevator. She quickly made her way back into the one-six and took her seat at my desk, just as Joseph made his way out of Cragen's office.

"Now there are no guns hanging around, there's no chance of anyone accidentally shooting me or something." Joseph said and chuckled to himself.

"What happens now Joseph?" I asked, I genuinely wanted to know where this was heading and what he planned to do next.

"I don't know, detective Benson, what do you think should happen now?" Joseph asked. I looked at him for a moment, trying to figure out a way to answer him. But before I could get the chance, he began to laugh at me.

"Like I give a damn what you think!" he said, chuckling to himself. "This is all your fault, you do realise that, don't you?" he asked and I realised then that this was the third or fourth time he'd said that to me.

"How? What are you talking about Joseph? What did I do wrong? Why are we here, huh?" I asked, I was annoyed but I needed to be careful how I went about this, I didn't want to risk making him angry and put everyone in any more danger.

"You're just such a slut!" he spat.

I looked at him, shocked. I could see that the others in the room were also shocked at what he'd said.

"Honestly, detective Benson, how long have you been sleeping with detective Stabler?" he asked then, shocking all of us even further.

"What?!" I asked, incredulous. Elliot was my partner, my friend. He was married, with children. I would never have an affair with him. It was ridiculous for Joseph Daniels to even suggest it.

"Oh, come on detectives. I know you probably want to keep your little thing a secret, but be honest now, how long?" he asked again. Before either of us could respond though, he began speaking again. "Of course, you won't want to admit it, will you Olivia?" he asked, emphasising my name. "Not in front of Miss Cabot anyway." he began laughing to himself again, like he'd cracked an inside joke and only he knew the punch line.

I looked at him, seriously shocked and wondering what the hell he was talking about. I could tell from the puzzled looks on the faces of everyone around me, that they had no idea what was going on here neither.

"Jacob, I have no idea what this is about. But I am not, nor have I ever been having an affair with detective Stabler. He is my parter and a friend. He is married and has children. I would never do anything to jeopardise his marriage and neither would he. You have this all wrong, there is nothing going on between the two of us."

He scoffed and looked at me like I was lying to him. He just shook his head, like what I had said had no effect.

"I suppose you're going to tell me that there's nothing going on between you and Miss Cabot either then, huh?" he asked, clearly getting agitated now.

Again, the faces of everyone around me conveyed their shock. I couldn't believe what was happening here. First we were all being held hostage by a man wearing a bomb, then he blamed me for all of this because of my so called relationships with my colleagues.

"I don't know where you're getting your information from, Mr Daniels. But I am not now, nor have I ever been in a relationship with either detective Stabler or Miss Cabot. Our relationships are strictly professional, and after many years of working together we have become friends. But that is as far as any of my relationships go with any of the people here." I tried to clarify.

But Joseph was having none of it. He believed that he was right and that I was simply lying to him.

"Stop! I don't want to hear any more of your lies!" he spat, slamming his fist down on my desk. He was clearly very agitated and becoming more aggressive. "Every time you open your mouth, all I hear are lies, lies and more lies!"

"Mr Daniels, detective Benson is telling the truth! I'm a happily married man with a family. Olivia is my partner and at best a friend and colleague, but nothing more. I assure you, there is no relationship between us." Elliot added, trying to calm Jacob down and get through to him.

"Shut up!" Jacob said, turning his attention to Elliot. "I don't believe her lies" he added, pointing at me. "So I'm not going to believe yours!"

The whole room went quiet again for several minutes. No-one knew what to say next and Joseph was clearly angry. It looked like he was trying to calm himself down before he made his next move.

"Okay, everyone move" he said a few minutes later. "We're moving to the morgue." he added, as he prompted us all up.

I wondered why he was moving us, and what he had planned next, but I did as I was told. I made my way towards the elevator and pushed the button, but just like earlier nothing happened.

"Not that way." Jacob said from behind me, "Elevators don't work too well with no power." he added and motioned me towards the stairs.

I wondered what he meant about the no power comment, and began to wonder if he was a lot cleverer than I had been giving him credit for.

After a short walk down a few flights of stairs, we were at the morgue. Just as we came to the double doors of the entrance to the morgue, Jacob stopped us and signalled for us to be quiet. The whole building was supposed to have been empty, but there were noises coming from inside the morgue which had Jacob agitated.

I realised then that the only person who could have been in the morgue was Warner.

"Joseph" I whispered as I moved closer to him. "That'll be Melinda Warner, she's the Medical Examiner. She's the person who spends more time down here so it's bound to be her." I tried to reason with him. I didn't want him to panic and think of Warner as a threat and maybe harm her, so I tried to warn him of her presence and prepare him.

He stood quietly for another minute, before he motioned me into the morgue first. Then he pushed everyone else in behind me and followed in behind them.

"Hey, Olivia. What can I do for you?" Warner said, barely glancing up at me as I made my way into the morgue. When I didn't reply, she looked up again to see everyone else behind me. And then her eyes must have rested on Joseph and the bomb. "Dear Lord." she mumbled, shocked at the situation in front of her.

"Put down your scalpel and stop what your doing." Joseph instructed her. Melinda did as she was told and moved away from the body she was just about to start an autopsy on.

"Move over here, with the rest of them." Joseph said then and again Melinda did as she was told.

Before anyone knew what happened next though, all hell broke loose. Elliot had decided that Melinda was a good distraction and whilst Joseph was focused on her, he made a beeline for a nearby scalpel. By the time anyone knew what was happening, Elliot was up close and personal in Joseph's space and trying to fight him. There was a struggle and before anyone was able to step in and help it was all over.

There was a moment of silence and shocked expressions on everyone's faces. Then a guttural moan pierced the silence and Elliot dropped to his knees. It was then that we all noticed the blood, seeping from a wound in his stomach and pooling around him on the floor. This was serious. In that one moment, this whole situation had changed. Now, Joseph had seriously hurt a cop and he no longer had anything left to lose.

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**A/N 2: So another cliffhanger! Will Elliot make it? Will Joseph set the bomb off now he has nothing to lose? Will anyone make it out alive? Keep reading to find out! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Okay, so I know you've all had to wait a ridiculously long time for this update, but it's finally here. I originally intended to break this chapter into two parts, but after the wait you've all had, I figured I'd just give you one long update. Once again, this is my first time writing for SVU so please bear with me. I would appreciate any and all feedback. Thank you all for reading, I hope you enjoy this chapter :)**

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"You! Doc, help him!" Joseph shouted, as he backed away from Elliot.

Melinda did as Joseph asked and rushed to Elliot's side. She took off her lab coat and pressed it firmly into the gaping wound in Elliot's stomach.

"WHY?!" Joseph shouted. "WHY DID HE HAVE TO DO THAT?!" he raged on. "Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!" he ranted. He was clearly losing control and getting angrier by the second.

"Joseph." I tried, I wanted to try and defuse this situation. "Detective Stabler is seriously injured. He needs medical attention."

"THAT'S WHAT THE DOC'S HERE FOR!" he shouted, pacing.

"He needs proper medical attention." I tried again. "He needs to go to a hospital."

"NO! NO-ONE LEAVES HERE UNLESS I SAY SO!" he shouted again. "I'M STILL IN CHARGE HERE OLIVIA!" he emphasised.

"I understand that Joseph, but if Detective Stabler dies, there's no way back for you. There's no way out. Let me help you so that you can help yourself."

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT THE HELL UP!"

I was shaking inside, seeing Elliot laying there on the floor so helpless, blood pouring from his wound I began to estimate how long it would take before he bled out, how long he had before his life would inevitably slip from him. I knew that Joseph had me in his sights, I needed to be strong. But right now all I felt was emotional and helpless.

"How's he doing, Doc?" Joseph asked Warner.

"He needs to go to the hospital, he's lost a lot of blood already and he's loosing it quickly. He doesn't have long before his body will go into shock and he will die." she replied, never once taking her eyes off Elliot.

"The only treatment he's getting Doc, is from you. So I suggest you do the best you can to keep him alive."

The whole room went quiet then as Joseph paced, it was clear that he had no plan, that he was trying to determine what to do next. He seemed lost. Elliot let out a moan, and all eyes turned to him. When I turned to look back in Joseph's direction, he was staring at me.

"_Yeah, that's what has to happen_." he mumbled to himself, "_too strong together, taking too big a risk. Separate. Yeah, that's what I have to do_." he continued to mumble as he paced quickly back and forth.

He paced for a few seconds longer before the decision became final in his head.

"Okay, listen up. A few of you will be moved to nicer climates. The morgue's not exactly a glamorous place. No offence Doc." he said, looking in Melinda's direction. "How should we do this?" he asked out loud, but I doubted he actually wanted advice from any of us. "Okay, the men will stay here and the women will come with me." he finally decided. " Let's go ladies." he said, as he walked towards where Alex and I were standing.

"Joseph, why are you moving us?" I asked.

"Why else, you're too much trouble together." he replied, nonchalantly. "Wait by the door, I just have to secure the guys before we leave. Doc, last time I checked, you were a woman." he said sarcastically as he took the handcuffs from Munch's belt and handcuffed him and the captain together.

"I need to stay with Detective Stabler, you said it yourself." Melinda replied.

"Good point, you may stay." he said then, taking Elliot's handcuffs from his waist band. "Captain, put one cuff on yourself, the other on that metal pipe there. Don't want either of you trying to escape now do we?" he chuckled to himself. "Now you Doc, are a bit of a problem for me." he said then.

"How so?" Melinda asked.

"Well, I should leave you free, so that you can take care of Detective Stabler, but then you're a … flight risk." he joked. "What to do." he contemplated.

"I won't go anywhere" Warner answered, "Elliot's life is in my hands, if I go anywhere, he dies." she tried to reason.

"Good point, but can I trust that you won't try to escape anyway. I mean, a hospital is the best option for the Detective isn't it?"

Joseph seemed to be really struggling with what he should do. He stood looking down at Elliot, then looking at Melinda before he finally made his decision.

"Sorry Doc, can't take the chance. I will however, only handcuff one of your hands, I'm sure the other one can help Elliot here enough."

Melinda looked shocked, she knew that Elliot's life was in her hands, and she knew that if anything happened to him she wouldn't be able to do the best job she could if she was handcuffed.

"Joseph, that's really not a good idea." Melinda tried, but it became clear that Joseph had made up his mind.

"Olivia, hand me your cuffs." he instructed me, with an outstretched hand.

"Joseph maybe you should listen to the Doctor, she has to have both of her hands free if she's going to have a chance at saving Detective Stabler's life."

"Shut up and just hand me the cuffs." he instructed once again. I shared an apologetic look with Melinda, before handing over my handcuffs to Joseph. I was sure now that Elliot would die.

"Cuff yourself to the desk." Joseph said as he handed the cuffs to Melinda. I felt so helpless as all I could do was watch. "Try not to miss me too much," he laughed as he made his way towards the doors near where I was standing with Alex. "And try not to die." he added, looking down at Elliot.

"Ladies, if you could follow me." he said then, he sounded like some sort of tour guide. I was getting pissed off now as well as feeling emotional and helpless. My emotions were all over the place and all I wanted to do was take this son of a bitch down and save my friends.

"Where are we going?" I asked as we walked up the flights of stairs.

"Somewhere a little more comfortable than that cold, horrible morgue." Joseph replied. "You'll find out where exactly, soon enough." he added, ending the conversation.

A few minutes later, we were walking back into the familiar room we refer to as the one – six. I could see my desk, with all the chairs still around it. The captain's office door was closed and the thought of my gun in the drawer crossed my mind. If only I could get my hands on it, I would blow his brains out and end this ordeal.

"Ladies, we have arrived." Joseph said then, pulling me out of my thoughts. I walked into the room and realised that we were now in the interrogation room. Table, few chairs, and a camera in the corner of the room. And of course the big two way mirror.

"Take a seat, ladies." Joseph instructed as he followed us into the room. "Try and get comfortable, you'll be here a while." he added.

"So, what now Joseph? You're gonna keep coming and going back and forth between here and the morgue?" I asked.

"Don't you worry about what I'll be doing Detective Benson." he replied. "Now, I'm sure you ladies can keep yourselves entertained whilst I go and see how poor Elliot is doing." he said, sarcastically. "Don't miss me too much." he added, as he walked out of the door, closing and locking it behind him.

"God-dammit!"

"Come on Olivia, there's nothing you can do." Alex said, reaching out a hand for support.

"This is all my fault, Alex!" I began to rant, "This psycho has fixated on ME. For some unknown reason, my life and my relationships seem to fascinate him. He's hurt Elliot. He's down there, laying on the cold floor of the morgue, dying! Because of me! If Elliot dies, it's on me." I let out.

"Hey, come on! This is not your fault. You didn't ask for this guys attention, all you did was try to help him. This is not on you. And Elliot's not going to die." Alex replied, trying to comfort me.

"You don't know that."

"Come on, stop blaming yourself. This is not your fault Olivia." Alex said, as she leaned across the table and wiped a tear from my cheek. I hadn't even noticed that I'd started to cry. I just felt to helpless, so out of control and I hated it. I felt the soft skin of Alex's finger lightly graze over my cheek. It felt like a spark of electricity went through us both. I had a whole new host of feelings I didn't know how to deal with.

"I'm sorry." Alex said, as I pulled away. "I just don't like to see you cry." she added.

"It's okay, I'm just really emotional right now." I replied.

Alex nodded, she knew what I was going through right now because she was going through it too. Everyone on this team cared about each other, we'd worked together long enough to know all the little quirks and details about each other. We'd became more than colleagues. We'd become friends, a second family even. And now someone was threatening that and we were powerless to do anything about it.

"My gun is in the captain's desk drawer, it's within throwing distance and I can't get to it. If I could, I would end this all, right now!" I said, as anger and other emotions filled me.

"Olivia, don't talk like that!" Alex said, clearly misreading what I had said.

"I meant, I would end this ordeal Alex. I would put a bullet in that son of a bitches head and then all of this would be over. Maybe then Elliot would have a chance."

"Oh, sorry. I thought you meant ..." Alex began but I stopped her. I understood what she had thought. I was emotional, but that thought had never entered my head.

"I wonder how they're all doing down there." I said then, changing the subject and wondering how the others were getting on in the morgue.

* * *

"Hey, what's going on here?" Fin asked, as he came to the front of his precinct. Cops were everywhere, there was a tactical team being briefed, the bomb squad and police tape cordoned off the whole of the station house.

"And you are?" the guy replied.

"Detective Fin Tuttuola, Special Victims. This is my precinct. What's happening?" Fin asked once again.

"I'm Special Agent Matthew Bond, F.B.I" the guy replied.

"Bond, huh?" Fin said, an amused look crossing his face.

"Save it, I've heard 'em all." the suit replied.

"Okay, so what's happening here?" Fin asked.

"We have a hostage situation inside." Agent Bond replied.

"What? How many people?"

"Not sure, seems this guy we've been tracking, name of Joseph Daniels, has a thing for a Detective who works here. We raided his house earlier today, found picture of her, a plan of action and bomb components. I got here twenty minutes ago, wanted to speak to the Detective, but the building has been sealed, power has been cut. Seems Mr Daniels' plan of action involves this Detective. Only thing we don't know, is how many hostages he has."

"Who's the Detective?" Fin asked.

"Benson, she's Special Victims. You know her?"

"Benson?! Damn! Yeah, we're part of the same team." Fin replied. "What can I do to help?"

"How many others are there in this team of yours?" Agent Bond asked.

"My partner, Benson and her partner. The Captain would've been there."

"So, we're talking four hostages?"

"Sometimes the A.D.A is there, and the M.E may be in there too." Fin added.

"So, we're probably looking at six hostages, plus any other victims who were in the building at the time." Agent Bond concluded. "Thanks for your help Detective. We'll take it from here."

"But those are my people in there." Fin argued.

"We'll get them out. Leave it to us." Agent Bond instructed.

Fin clearly wasn't happy, but made his way over to some other cops who were being briefed about what was about to happen.

* * *

"How's he doing, Doc?" Joseph asked.

"About as well as can be expected." Melinda replied.

"Not dead though, right?"

"No, he's not dead. Not yet. But if he doesn't get proper medical attention, and soon, he IS going to die."

"You're doing a good job Doc, stop selling yourself short." Joseph replied. "And how are you two doing? I know handcuffs aren't exactly comfortable, but I need the insurance."

"We're great, we love the cuffs." Munch responded sarcastically.

"Good, because you're gonna be in them a while longer." Joseph replied, clearly pissed with Munch's nonchalance. "I'm going to check on the others, don't go anywhere." he added then, leaving the morgue.

Joseph was walking up the three flights of stairs he needed to take to get back to the one – six. He planned on sitting on the other side of the two way mirror and watching what was going on between Alex and Olivia. He was sure that she was having a relationship with either or both Alex and Elliot. She'd told him that he was wrong, that he'd been imagining it. Now, he was beginning to doubt himself and his plan. If he could just sit and watch them, see how they interacted when they were alone, he would find out the truth for himself. He was just about to open the double doors that lead to the corridor which would lead him into the one – six when a sudden noise stopped him dead in his tracks. Alex and Olivia were locked in the interrogation room, so it couldn't be them. And the others were all handcuffed down in the morgue, so it couldn't be them either. So where had the noise come from and who had caused it? He opened the double doors slightly and looked around as best he could. He'd been sure that no-one could get in here. That his plan was fool proof. But what if he'd been wrong? What if he'd made a mistake? After looking out onto the corridor for almost two minutes, Joseph decided that no-one was there. That he must just be paranoid. He opened the double doors cautiously though and began to move through them. He walked down the corridor and stopped outside the entrance to the one – six. He looked up and down the corridor before shaking his head at himself. He was paranoid. He'd planned this, nothing could go wrong. He pushed open the door and stepped foot inside the one – six and as soon as he did, he realised that he had indeed made a mistake. A mistake that was now throwing him off plan. As soon as he had entered the one – six he was tackled by a black blur. Before he knew what was happening, he was being wrestled to the ground and the detonator to the bomb he was wearing, had been snatched from his hand. His plan was over. As he looked up, he saw several men in black attire, pointing guns at his head.

"Mr Daniels." came a voice from above him. "Agent Bond, I've been tracking you for a while. You're under arrest." he added, a smile on his face.

Joseph tried to break free, but he was securely restrained.

"Where are the hostages?" Agent Bond asked.

"Bite me!" Joseph replied. He was clearly angry. The man who had tackled Joseph, pulled him up to his feet roughly.

"Let's try that again." Agent Bond said, "Where are the hostages?" But Joseph just laughed at him, which clearly infuriated the Agent. "You two, go look for the hostages." he instructed, pointed to two of the men holding guns. "And you, Mr Daniels. I think you need teaching a lesson." he added. "Anybody who wants no part of this, leave now." he instructed. No-one moved. "Seems like you have a LOT of trouble heading your way." Agent Bond added as he stepped closer to Joseph and punched him hard in the face. Joseph stumbled, but then straightened himself again.

"Is that the best you got?" he asked. At which point the other agents made their way towards him. He would be lucky to get out of this alive.

* * *

I was sitting in the interrogation room with Alex. There'd been an awkward sort of silence between us since I'd become emotional and we'd shared a moment. Now we were just waiting for Joseph to come back and decide what to do with us next.

The sound of the door handle rattling grabbed the attention of both of us. Joseph had locked the door, why would he try and open it without unlocking it first? We remained quiet but watched the door. After a moment of silence, a voice outside the door had us both on edge.

"Is there anyone in there?" a male voice asked.

"Yes! Detective Olivia Benson and Assistant District Attorney Alex Cabot." I replied.

"Hold on ladies, we're going to get you out." the male voice replied. "Stand back from the door please." he instructed. We did as we were told and took a few steps back. When we were clear of the door we waited. A few seconds later the door came flying in, and a man rushed in.

"Who are you? What's happening?" I asked.

"I'm Agent Dean, I'm here to get you two out of here." he replied. "Do you know where the other hostages are?" he asked then.

"Yes! They're in the morgue, my parter has been stabbed. He's badly injured. He needs a hospital." I rambled, as the Agent in front of me nodded is head. He then lifted his arm and spoke into what I guessed was a microphone.

"Other hostage are in the morgue, we need an ambulance on standby." he stood silently for a moment, before he spoke again. "Copy that. Come on ladies, let's get you out of here." he said then leading us out of the room. We walked out of the interrogation room and into the one – six. There were three other men in the same attire as Agent Dean, and two other men near the doors. Agent Dean tried to lead us out of the precinct, but the mass on the floor at the feet of the other two men stopped me.

"What the hell happened?" I asked, as I bent down to see Joseph Daniels, laying bloody and broken on the floor.

"We apprehended the criminal." one of the men answered.

"Is he dead?" I asked, looking up at the man.

"No, ma'am. He's not dead. We're going to transfer him to hospital now. Just awaiting an EMT." he replied.

"Who are you?" I asked then, looking at the man in front of me.

"Special Agent Matthew Bond, F.B.I" he replied. "And this is the tactical team that just rescued you and the rest of the hostages." he added, pointing at the other men in the room.

"Thank you" I replied looking from each man to the next, then I walked out of the one – six and didn't look back. I had to find out what had happened to the others and if Elliot was going to be okay.

* * *

"Hey." Elliot said, as I walked into his room in the hospital.

"Hey, you. How you feeling?" I asked, making my way towards him.

"Like I was stabbed" he replied, sarcastically. He chuckled a little at himself, but then winced in pain.

"We have enough smart guys in Munch." I replied, and we both shared a smile.

"How are the others?" he asked then.

"They're doing okay. The precinct has been turned into a crime scene so we have a few days off."

"I'm just glad we all got out of there alive." Elliot said.

"I know, me too." I replied.

"They told me he's here." Elliot said then, changing the subject.

"Uh, yeah. He is. Couple of floors down from you. There's an armed guard outside his room." I replied. I knew that Elliot was referring to Joseph Daniels. His injures were questionable to say the least but no-one was questioning anything just yet.

"Will he make it?" Elliot asked then.

"Yeah, they say he'll be fine. A few cuts and bruises, couple of broken ribs. It'll all heal." I replied honestly. "I'm going to go and see him on my way out actually. You want me to pass on a message from you?" I asked.

Elliot seemed to think about this for a minute and the whole room fell silent.

"Yeah, tell him better luck next time." he said, and smiled. "Jerk!" he added.

"Okay, you get some rest. I'll come and see you again tomorrow." I answered, before I turned and left Elliot's room. Joseph's room was two floors down from Elliot's, so I decided to take the stairs. As I came out on the third floor, I could see the guard outside the room. I walked along the corridor and stopped outside the door.

"Can I help you?" the guard asked.

"Detective Benson, NYPD. I just need a few minutes." I said, flashing my badge at him.

"Sorry. No visitors, Detective Benson." he replied.

"I'd just like a few minutes with him, please?" I asked.

"I'm not supposed to, but just this once. Go on in." he said.

"Thanks." I replied as I walked past him and opened the door to the room. Once I was inside, I closed the door behind me. Straight away something seemed off to me, the curtains were drawn around the bed. I moved further into the room and pulled the curtain open.

"Can I help you?" the man asked in front of me.

"Who the hell are you?" I asked.

"I'm Daniel Josephs, and who are you?" he asked.

"Screwed!" I replied, before turning and opening the door. "This is not Joseph Daniels!" I stated to the guard.

"What?! It has to be!" He replied, before jumping up and going into the room. When it was confirmed that I was right and that the person in the room wasn't Joseph Daniels, all hell broke loose. The hospital was locked down and security were scrambled to search for Joseph.

"How the HELL did he get out of here?!" the guard said, as he paced up and down the corridor. "And where the hell is he gonna go?" he added.

And instantly it hit me. This had all been about me, from start to finish. He'd hurt Elliot who he thought I was having an affair with. The only other person he could use to get to me was Alex. She was in danger, I had to get to her.


End file.
